China’s Sun Long won silver in the men’s 1,000m short track speed skating event at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, earning the first Olympic medal of his career and China’s first short track podium of the Games, according to multiple Chinese media reports.
The 25-year-old clocked 1 minute 24.565 seconds, finishing just 0.028 seconds behind the Netherlands’ Jens van ‘t Wout, who secured gold in 1:24.537. South Korea’s Rim Jong-un took bronze in 1:24.611 following a photo-finish sprint.
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In a tightly contested Final A, Sun stayed patient in the early laps before launching his decisive move alongside Van ‘t Wout in the closing stretch. The pair crossed the line almost simultaneously, with officials required to review the finish before confirming the result. Canada’s William Dandjinou placed fourth.
The silver marked a swift turnaround for Sun after a costly final-lap error in Tuesday’s mixed 2,000m relay left China in fourth place.
“I just told myself to stay steady and take it round by round. I didn’t think about fighting for a specific medal,” Sun said after the race.
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Teammate Liu Shaoang, bronze medallist in the event at Beijing 2022, finished sixth overall after winning Final B, while Lin Xiaojun placed 17th.
China’s short track campaign continues on Saturday with the men’s 1,500m quarterfinals, where Sun will look to build on his breakthrough Olympic podium.
